Chapter Fourteen: Endangered

Buffy opened the front door, aware of Spike hovering behind. She turned as she got through her front door, looking at him with a tired expression. He smiled fondly, reached up a hand to cup her cheek. She leaned into the caress without thinking.

'You sure you're gonna be okay?' He asked, the smile not fading.

'I'm fine…I'll be fine in my own house.' She said, looking up at him. He nodded, dropping his hand.

'As long as you're sure.' He said, looking around. 'I think I'll hand around for a bit out here anyway…just to make sure.'

Buffy smiled, looking inside the house. 'Looks like Mom is still up. I guess she wouldn't mind if you came in for a cup of hot chocolate. Being my vampire bodyguard and all.'

Spike grinned, moving to enter the house. Buffy stood aside. He put his foot out to step across the threshold, and frowned as he was stopped by the invisible barrier. Buffy looked up at him apologetically.

'Sorry…I guess, sometimes I forget.' She whispered. 'Come in, Spike.'

He nodded, the smile from his face gone. He stood awkwardly in the hall as Buffy shut the door behind him and then followed quietly as she headed into the kitchen. She looked around, a frown covering her face. She turned back to the vampire, concern replacing the frown.

'It's not usually this quiet.' She leant against the kitchen door, looking up the stairs. 'Mom?!' She called, waiting for an answer.

'Er, Buffy…' Spike's voice caused her to turn. He was holding a Polaroid photo and she took it from him, fear filling her expression as she noted the picture that depicted the vampire Kralik holding her mother, the word "come" written below. She looked up at Spike.

'We need weapons.'

'Buffy, you can't…' He started and Buffy cut him off, determination in her hazel eyes.

'I'm not. We are.'

He hesitated before nodding. 'Right then. Where'd you keep them?'

Buffy opened the door of the boarding house, the crossbow ready and loaded at her side. Spike had left her down the street, attempting to find a back way into the house. He had not been happy to leave her but she had insisted that if the two of them split up, the odds of finding her mom safe and alive would be better. He had quickly departed and she knew he would try and find Joyce before she did, to prevent any harm from coming to either of them. Buffy wasn't able to defend herself as she normally would and so it was up to Spike to help her out.

She headed further into the front hall of the house, turning as the latch shut on the front door behind her. She swung the cross bow up, her face full of determination, lacking the fear that should have been instilled in her.

Especially as she saw the demon looking back at her with a hungry grin.

Giles picked up the phone and dialled a number, his fingers tapping impatiently as he waited for the other end to pick up. He frowned as it didn't and then slammed the phone down as the library doors swung open and Quentin Travers walked in, looking around curiously.

'I was just trying to reach you.' Giles said, standing up to greet the other man.

'I was on watch over by the boarding house.' Travers stated, refusing the other eye contact, his gaze sweeping over the texts on the table. Giles frowned.

'Then you know what's happened.'

Travers looked at him. 'Yes.'

Giles' posture was rigid as he struggled to keep his tone. 'He's killed Hobson and made Blair one of his own. Your perfectly controlled test seems to have spun rather impressively out of control, don't you think?'

Travers said nothing, turning and heading for the kettle on the side. After a few seconds, he turned back to Giles. 'It changes nothing.'

'Well, then, allow me.' Giles leant on the table. 'I've told Buffy everything.'

'That is in direct opposition to the Council's orders.' Travers frowned. Giles crossed his arms, his glare equally the elders' frown.

'Yes. Interestingly, I don't give a rat's ass about the Council's orders. There will be no test.'

'The test has already begun. Your Slayer entered the field of play about ten minutes ago.' The older watcher leant against the counter as Giles stood up, his shock and surprise evident on his face.

'Why?'

'I don't know. I returned there just as she entered.' Travers shrugged. Giles said nothing for a second before picking up his keys from the desk. The older watcher's eyes widened and he shook his head, following the librarian as he headed from the office.

'Now Giles, we've no business...'

Giles grabbed him by the coat and threw him against the wall, Ripper coming to surface as anger gleamed in his eyes. 'This is not business.'

He stormed from the room, leaving Travers to shake against the wall.

Buffy fired the crossbow, swearing softly as the bolt missed Blair and embedded in the door. She turned, running from the hall. Blair started after her, only for her to slam the door. As she leant against the other side, her gaze fell on a crate in the centre of the room and she frowned. Spike's voice filtered through the door to her and she realised he had stopped Blair. She just had to hope he could stop him whilst she found her mother.

She approached the crate, wishing for the umpteenth time that she had her special senses that came with the slayer package. She had no idea if any more vampires were lurking around. And she wasn't looking forward to finding out the hard way.

A voice echoed around the room, and this time it wasn't the friendly baritone of Spike's British accent. She cringed as she recognised the voice of the insane vampire from earlier.

'Hide and seeeek...'

Buffy looked around, turning slowly, the crossbow held high. She could only pray that her aim served her a little better this time.

'Hide and seek!'

No one was there. Not visibly anyway. She knew the insane vampire was somewhere. She backed up against the crate, closing her eyes briefly, asking whoever would listen to help her out.

Her prayers went unanswered as an arm grabbed her and she felt the ground disappear underneath her. She squealed as her face came level with Kralik's.

'Why did you come to the dark of the woods?'

He pulled her crossbow from her and the small bag of weapons she had brought with her. He peered inside, seeing the collection of knives and stakes. He grinned, his strength overcoming her struggles.

'To bring all these sweets to grandmother's house?'

The weapons were thrown to the floor and he looked back up at her. Buffy thrust her arm upwards, shoving a cross in his face. The vampire jumped backwards, snarling. The young blonde held the cross at arms length, her eyes wide with fear as Kralik stared at her. He then lunged forward, catching her off guard. He held the hand that contained the cross and pressed it against his own chest, rubbing it against his skin.

The sizzling of his flesh made Buffy scrunch her nose up and she dropped it, releasing herself from his grip. She turned and ran towards the kitchen, flinging the door open. She slipped slightly on the blood that covered the floor, baulking as she saw the remains of Hobson. She could hear the vampire coming up fast behind her, so she knew she had no time to be squeamish.

She turned, locking the door tightly and then began to rifle through the drawers looking for anything for a weapon.

Spike, now would be a good time to play the hero.

The growling of the vampire outside ceased and she stopped moving, her hunt for a weapon having revealed nothing anyway. She edged towards the door, praying that the quiet meant Spike had taken them all out. She leant down, looking through the keyhole, seeing no one there. Slowly, she opened the door, sticking her head out.

The coast was clear. Buffy emerged into the hall, looking around warily. She spotted the staircase leading down to the cellar and ran for it, only to be grabbed again by the mad vampire as he jumped from the shadows. Buffy screeched, clawing at him, trying to escape.

He grinned and Buffy cried out again, calling for Spike. A bang came from the other end of the hall, causing Kralik to look upwards and Buffy took her opportunity, kneeing the vampire between the legs and running as fast as she could down the stairs to the cellar. She slammed the door behind her, pulling the lock across it.

Kralik snarled, turning to follow her. A noise from behind stopped him again and he spun round, meeting Spike's fist.

'Don't even think about it, mate.' The vampire stumbled backwards and then shook his head, snarling. Spike raised his fist to strike again, but Kralik's foot found his stomach and Spike was thrust back against the staircase leading to the higher floors of the house. He groaned, feeling a piece of wood penetrate his lower abdomen. Kralik loomed over him.

'if you stray from the path, you will lose your way.'

Spike growled, reaching upwards with a discarded piece of wood. Kralik grabbed it, raising it to stake the other vampire when he clutched his head, wailing in pain. He fell backwards, down the stairs as Spike fell to the floor, grabbing his wound, his only thought for Buffy as the crazy vamp headed in her direction…

Buffy heard the vampire's wail and ran down the hall, seeing photographs of her mother everywhere. She ended up in a small basement room, with only a closet at the far end. She looked around and spied the pills on the table, a glass of water next to them. As an idea formed in the back of her head, a muffled banging erupted from the closet and she ran to it, opening it and pulling her mother out. Joyce was bound to a chair and Buffy pulled her gag off.

Joyce gasped for air. 'Buffy?'

Buffy looked over to the glass of water and the pills and felt the bulk of the bottle of holy water in her pocket. A banging from the door snatched her attention and she moved to the table, ignoring her mother.

'Buffy, we have to get out...'

Buffy put the water down, slipping the now empty bottle into her pocket. The banging increased and the sound of splintering wood echoed through to them as Buffy moved back over to her mother. Kralik's voice split through the air to them and Buffy pulled frantically at her mother's bindings.

'Where are they? Where are they?!'

The vampire entered the room, his gaze sweeping over them until he spotted the pills and water on the table. He strode over to them, picking the pills up and extracting two, before swallowing the water in one go. He sighed and turned to Buffy, his smile glowing evilly as he moved towards her.

'You don't seem to understand your place in all of this. Do you have any idea...' he stopped in his tracks, looking downwards. 'Oh, my…' he said, looking between Buffy and the empty glass. 'What have you…' He began to shake and fell back against the table. 'My pills!' he cried out, as Buffy pulled the empty bottle from her pocket and held it up for him to see.

Kralik began shaking violently, his screams unintelligible. Smoke poured from his clothing and he screamed again.

'If I was at full Slayer power, I'd be punning right about now.' Buffy folded her arms and looked at him. The vampire wailed loudly as he crumbled to ashes from the inside out and Buffy sighed in relief. She pulled at her mother's ropes again, frowning when they wouldn't come loose.

'Buffy, thank God you're okay. Oh, that man…'

Buffy strained at the ropes, pulling hard. 'I can't get these, they're too tight.'

'Can't you just…' Joyce pulled at them. Buffy shook her head, standing. 'Maybe there's some clippers around here.' Her mother offered and Buffy turned.

Once more, she came face to face with Blair. Joyce shrieked just as Giles appeared and punched Blair solidly, receiving his own strike back. As the librarian doubled over, his thrust a stake upwards, reducing the vampire to ash in seconds.

Buffy looked at her watcher and disappointment filled her face. He nodded and looked back up the stairs. Spike appeared in the doorway, clutching a bloody wound in his side. He limped towards them, pulling Joyce's bonds free. The slayer looked at him, nodding silent thanks as she let her mother lean on her shoulder and they left the room, leaving the vampire and watcher to the silence after the battle.